Car roof for hopper cars



May 5, 1936.- w. D. THOMPSON 2,039,502

CAR ROOF FOR HOPPER CARS I Filed 001;. 51', 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 CARROOF FOR HOPPER CARS 'Filed Oct. 31, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 74 222511 I 7%m1 pa 0/;

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y 1936. w. D THOMPSON I 2,039,502

CAR ROOF FOR HOPPER CARS Filed Oct. 51, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patent?May 5,1936 2,039,502

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAR ROOF FOB. HOPPER Chas William D.Thompson, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Hutchins Car Roofing Company,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 31, 1932,Serial No. 640,531

Claims. (01. 108-5) The invention relates to car roofs more paronlynecessary to place the carlines across bevticularly designed for use inconnection with hoptween the side plates of the car body, and to use percars. Such cars are quite generally used for the standard roofingplates, transverse caps, ridge carrying materials which require noprotection caps, junction caps, etc., for covering the greater 5 andwhere a roof covering is unnecessary. There portion of the frame. It is,however, necessary to are, however, uses, such for instance as carryingprovide hatch openings for the loading of the bulk cement, where thecontents must be effeccement or other material which I have accomtivelyprotected from the weather. Various conplished as follows: 1 structionsof roof have been employed for this At one or more points in the roofframe, the

purpose and which differ from roofs used upon ridge pole or purline maybe cut away between a lo ordinary freight cars in that they must bepropair of adjacent carlines and cross members I vided with hatchopenings for the loading of the are placed between the-carlines andspaced upon car with the cement or other material. I have opposite sidesof the ridge to leave a hatch opendiscovered that a roof designed foruse on ordin of he des red area. Between these cross nary cars and ofthe type known as flexible can members I and the eaves the roof iscovered by 15 by a slight modification be adapted for use on roofingsheets E which are the same in construchopper cars. The inventiontherefore consists in tion as the roofing sheets E but are shorter, soas the novel construction of this modified roof as to terminate abovethe members I. Short transhereinafter set forth. verse caps F areweatherproofed between the op- In the drawings: posite sides of thesheets E and the adjacent 20 Figure l is a plan view of a portion of a.car sheets E. This leaves an uncovered opening beroof of my improvedconstruction; tween the cross members I and the carlines to Figure 2 isa similar view of a portion of the which they are attached which servesas the roof frame with the roofing plates removed; hatch opening forloading material into the car.

Figure 3 is a cross section on line 3 -3 of Fig- To cover and weathrproof this opening, a special 25 ure cap is employed which performs thedouble func- Figures 4 and 5 are cross sections respectively tion of ahatch cover and a junction cap for on lines 4-4 and 5--5 of Figure 1.weatherproofing between the several roof cover- Figure 6 is aperspective view partly broken s m ts W h u d t hatch pening.

away showing the combined junction cap and us as s wn, the hatch covercap J is fash- 30 hatch cover in position. ioned at its opposite ends toembrace the trans- The type of roof which is modified to form my versecarline caps F and also the ridge cap G improved construction is thatknown as flexible being provided with a depressed flange J which andwhich is formed by a series of roofing sheets x n W hin th p n formed yhe upstandindependently movably supported upon the roof ing side andridge flanges of the r fin et E- 35 frame and secured and weatherproofedby trans- The cap is provided with depressed flanges J verse caps, ridgecaps, junction caps, etc. As along its margins on opposite sides of theridge, shown in Figures 2 and 3, A are the side plates which fit withinthe pan formed by the upstandof the car, B are the carlines extendingbetween ing side and upper end flanges of the roofing these side plates,C are purlines connecting the sheets E. Thus the joints on all sides arethor- 40 carlines and arranged on the under side thereof, oughlyweatherproofed, while the central portion and D is a ridge pole orpurline which is arranged of the cap extends tO'COVeI the Space betweent above a central horizontal section of the carlines. carlines and thecross members I. The cap is The roof cover is formed by roofing sheets Esecured in position by shoulder bolts K which which extend from theridge to the eaves between engage apertures in the upper ends of thetransthe carlines being supported on the purlines, verse caps F andextend downward through the transverse caps F which embrace the carlinescarlines, being secured by a clamping nut K and and upstanding flangeson the sheets E, ridge caps a spacer collar K Above the shoulder K onthe G embracing upstanding flanges at the upper ends bolt is anextension which passes through aperof the sheets on opposite sides ofthe ridge, and tures in the cap J and is engaged by a clamping 5ojunction caps H which complete the weatherproof nut K for securing saidcap firmly in place.

joint between the ridge caps and transverse caps. The roof is providedwith the usual running All of the construction thus far described is oldboards L supported upon saddles M, but to avoid and well known in theart. To apply such a. coninterference with the hatch opening theserunstruction of roof to an open top hopper car it is ning boardsterminate on opposite sides thereof.

To complete the running board the cap J has mounted thereon the saddlesM which support short running board sections L extending between theends of the running boards on opposite sides thereof.

With the construction as described when it is desired to load the car,all that is required is to remove the nuts K from the bolts K and liftthe cap J, together with the running board sections L off from thebolts, thereby uncovering the hatch opening. When the car is loaded,this cover may be quickly replaced and will complete the weatherproofprotection of the roof.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The combination with a roof frame including carlines, of roofingsheets supported on said frame extending between carlines upon oppositesides of the ridge and provided with upstanding flanges along their sideedges and across their upper ends, the upper end of one of said sheetsbetween a pair of carlines terminating at a point spaced from the ridgeto leave a hatch opening, transverse caps and ridge caps forweatherproofing between said sheets surrounding said hatch opening, anda junction cap forming a weatherproof joint with said surrounding sheetsand caps and extending across to cover said hatch opening.

2. The combination with a roof frame including carlines, of roofingsheets supported on said frame extending between carlines upon oppositesides of the ridge and provided with upstanding flanges along their sideedges and across their upper ends, the upper end of one of said sheetsbetween a pair of carlines terminating at a point spaced from the ridgeto leave a hatch opening, transverse caps and ridge caps, forweatherproofing between said sheets surrounding said hatch opening, ajunction cap forming a weatherproof joint with said surrounding sheetsand caps and extending across to cover said hatch opening, and means forremovably clamping said junction caps in position.

3. The combination with a roof frame including carlines, of roofingsheets supported on said frame extending between carlines upon oppositesides of the ridge and provided with upstanding flanges along their sideedges and across their upper ends, the upper end of one or said sheetsbetween a pair of carlines terminating at a point spaced from the ridgeto leave a hatch opening, transverse caps and ridge caps, forweatherproofing between said sheets surrounding said hatch opening, ajunction cap forming a weatherproof joint with said surrounding sheetsand caps and extending across to cover said hatch opening, runningboards mounted upon said roof terminating upon opposite sides of saidhatch opening, short complementary running boards mounted on said capand means for removably clamping said cap and short running boards inposition.

4. In a car roof, the combination with a roof frame including carlines,and a ridge purline having a section between a pair of carlines removed,of cross members between said pair of carlines spaced on opposite sidesof the ridge to form a hatch opening therebetween, roofing sheetssupported on said frame extending between carlines and provided withupstanding side and upper end flanges, the sheets between the carlinesforming a hatch opening terminating at their upper ends adjacent to saidcross members, transverse caps and ridge caps for weatherproofingbetween sheets surrounding said hatch opening, a junction cap forming aweatherproof joint with the sheets and caps surrounding said hatchopening and extending across to cover said opening, and clamping boltsengaging the corners of said cap to removably secure the same inposition.

5. In a car roof, the combination with a roof frame including carlinesof independently movable roofing sheets supported on said frame on Iopposite sides of the ridge, one of said sheets being shortened to leavea hatch opening between its upper end and the ridge, transverse caps forweatherproofing between adjacent sheets, ridge caps for weatherproofingbetwen sheets on opposite sides of the ridge, and a junction cap forweatherproofing between ridge caps and transverse caps, said junctioncap extending to cover said hatch opening and being removable to uncoversaid opening.

WILLIAM D. THOMPSON.

